Clinical Interviewing With Older Adults

Validation of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 in patients with COPD: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) often have comorbid generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), which requires early screening in respiratory clinics. The Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) questionnaire is a brief and commonly used screening tool for GAD but has not been validated among patients with COPD in China.

METHODS

Stable patients with COPD from a cross-sectional observational study were assessed using the GAD-7 questionnaire and then assessed by a senior psychiatrist to confirm a diagnosis of GAD according to the criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition. Demographic characteristics, spirometry, and patient-reported outcomes were collected. Cronbach's α coefficient was calculated, and receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis was performed to validate the GAD-7.

RESULTS

A total of 226 patients with COPD were enrolled, and 50 (22.1%) of these patients were diagnosed with GAD. The Cronbach's α coefficient for the GAD-7 was 0.869, which indicated good internal consistency. ROC curve analysis showed that the GAD-7 had an area under the curve (AUC) value of 0.829 (95% CI: 0.774-0.876) for identifying GAD. The optimal cut-off score was ≥ 4, with a sensitivity of 66.0% and a specificity of 89.2%. Higher GAD-7 scores were significantly associated with health-related quality of life and the symptom burden of COPD. The discriminatory power of GAD-7 did not differ statistically when stratified by COPD severity.

CONCLUSIONS

The GAD-7 was shown to be a reliable and valid screening tool for patients with COPD in China, and its screening performance for GAD was not influenced by disease severity.

Death anxiety and ageist attitudes are related to trainees' interest in working with older adults

OBJECTIVES

To explore how psychology trainee death concerns and ageist behavior relate to their willingness and desire to work with older adults.

METHOD

Trainees (N = 104; 80.8% women) completed the Death Thought-Accessibility Measure, Relating to Older People Evaluation (ROPE), Death Anxiety Scale-Extended (DASE), and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and rated their willingness and desire to work with older adults and their willingness to obtain training on how to work with older adults.

RESULTS

Pearson correlations showed that salience of death-related thoughts, death anxiety (but not general anxiety), and negative behaviors toward older adults were significantly negatively associated with trainees' willingness and desire to work with older adults. Regressions revealed that negative behaviors toward older adults was the strongest factor associated with willingness and desire to work with older adults, whereas positive behaviors toward older adults was the strongest factor associated with being willing to obtain training in working with older adults. Death anxiety and salience of death-related thoughts positively correlated with each other and were each positively associated with negative behaviors toward older adults.

CONCLUSION

Helping graduate trainees become more comfortable with mortality and changing negative behaviors toward older adults may increase their interest in gerontology and geriatrics.

Is dependent personality disorder associated with mild cognitive impairment and dementia in Central Africa? A result from the EPIDEMCA programme

BACKGROUND

To date, no studies have examined the relationship between cognitive disorders and personality disorders. Our aim was to investigate the association between dependent personality disorder (DPD) and cognitive disorders in Central Africa.

METHODS

Between 2011 and 2012, a cross-sectional multicenter population-based study was carried out in rural and urban areas of the Central African Republic (CAR) and the Republic of Congo (ROC). Participants aged ≥65 years were interviewed using the Community Screening Interview for Dementia (CSI-D). Elderly people who performed poorly (CSI-D cognitive tests score or COGSCORE ≤ 24.5/30) were clinically assessed by neurologists and underwent further psychometric testing. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition and Petersen criteria were required for the diagnosis of dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) respectively. DPD was assessed using the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire-4+. Socio-demographic, vascular, and psychological factors were also documented. Multivariate multinomial logistic regression models were used to estimate the associations.

RESULTS

Of the 2,002 participants screened, 860 and 912 had data for cognitive status and DPD in CAR and ROC respectively. In fully adjusted models, DPD was significantly associated with MCI in ROC (Odds Ratio (OR) = 2.2, 95% CI: 1.0-4.7) and CAR (OR = 2.1, 95% CI: 1.1-4.0) and with dementia only in ROC (OR = 4.8, 95% CI: 2.0-11.7).

CONCLUSIONS

DPD was associated with cognitive disorders among elderly people in Central Africa. This association should be confirmed in other contexts. This study paves the way for research on the association between personality and cognitive impairment in Africa.

"Fit and fabulous": mixed-methods research on processes, perceptions, and outcomes of a yearlong gym program with assisted-living residents

This study's mixed-methods design sought to understand how to encourage assisted-living (AL) residents to initiate and continue exercise in a gym setting. Ten residents participated in this yearlong program. Processes developed and perceived benefits were understood through interviews and observations. Changes in active time, lower body strength, and workload were evaluated using direct measures. Findings indicated that AL residents regularly used exercise machines (mean participation = 53.8%) and increased active time and lower body strength (p = .02) when adequately prepared and supported. Participants prioritized gym time and developed pride and ownership in the program. They described themselves as exercisers and developed a sense of belonging to their new home. Friendships with one another, staff, and university partners were nurtured in the gym setting. When provided space, equipment, trained staff, and additional resource support, AL residents' quality of life and life satisfaction were enhanced in several domains.

Psychometric properties of the GAD-Q-IV and DERS in older, community-dwelling GAD patients and controls

Thirty-seven community-dwelling, older generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) patients and 37 nonanxious controls completed the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire for DSM-IV (GAD-Q-IV; Newman et al., 2002), the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS; Gratz & Roemer, 2004), and other measures of anxiety and depression. The GAD-Q-IV and DERS were assessed for internal consistency reliability, construct validity, and test-retest reliability, with results indicating good psychometric performance. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis conducted on the full sample suggested that the optimal GAD-Q-IV cutoff for classifying GAD cases was 3.71, with .97 sensitivity and .92 specificity. The cutoff score for classifying those participants with GAD and comorbid conditions was higher, however. ROC analysis with the full sample revealed an optimal DERS cutoff score of 62.5, with .76 sensitivity and .86 specificity. Findings support the use of the GAD-Q-IV and DERS as screening instruments for GAD in older, community-dwelling adults in a research setting.